He who wanted to win
by Prinzessen
Summary: Cato reflects on his life as he is about to enter the arena in seventy-forth Hunger Games. Mentioning of Cato/Clove. One shot.


**A/N: All characters except from Cato, Clove, Glimmer and Katniss are mine. Winner of the writing-computation on **

**One shot.**

**Based on the book, not the movie!**

**Rated M for strong language.**

**Summary: Cato reflects on his life as he is about to enter the arena in seventy-forth Hunger Games.**

**He who wanted to win**

Winning… The only thing you would do. You will win this game.

Winning…

A small word. Tiny it is, but with such big meaning, at least for me. They`ve said that word so many times, all my life they`ve spoken that word to me, by my family (especially my dad) and now plenty of times by my Mentor Pascal.

"You will win this! Nobody else can win this game Cato!" A wide grin is spreading in my face, while I straiten my back.

I will show them, these losers!

Everyone in the entire Panem will see me shine, but most important of all, dad will see that I am good enough to be his son.

"You remember the deal Cato? Collect all the weapons at the Cornucopia! Clove has got the same message. It is important that you work together for…" I`ve stopped listening what Pascal is telling me, my mind has drifted away again. I am fantasizing about how I will survive, who to ally with, how I would collect the weapons, how to kill… Exactly, how I will kill the girl from district 12. _`The girl on fire`_

The name makes me want to throw up. What a pathetic name to be called, just as pathetic as her red dress. The way she spun around in it on the interview to Flickerman. Those fucking eleven points she got, and that prick of a boyfriend. It`s makes me laugh, I could use him for the murder on his precious little fire girl. Oh how I look forward to destroy her. I wish I could be in that moment forever, just seeing the last bit of life disappear from that delicate face of hers.

I am sitting in a plane that will bring me to the Launch Room, I know about everything that will happen. You see, in district 2 we are taught about the games and the arenas and trained to be capable of surviving on the arena. Illegal, yes, but Capitol cannot stop it anyway. Pascal had told me everything on his previous experiences on the arena. I knew them by heart now. A man comes towards me, holding a needle, the tracking-needle. It will tell the game makers where at the arena every tribute was. I am watching the needle go through my skin, the funny feeling it gives.

"Cato!" Ice blue eyes meet pale gray eyes. He holds my gaze, trying to scare me.

Pascal is a tough guy, a real motherfucker. He has short hair military style, a muscled body and a big ugly scar across his own throat. He got this scar when he was a tribute in the games himself. It was made by jagged knife. One of his allies was trying to kill him. His voice is now ragged and whispering.

He won the games though. With his throat bleeding as hell, as said he is a real motherfucker. This will now be me.

"Yeah? What is it?" I am still holding his gaze. My dad might be terrified of the guy, but not me. I would with pleasure pick a fight with the guy, but since he is my Mentor it would be terribly stupid. I am not stupid. I am arrogant and sly, Pascal does not like that. He wanted respect for everybody. I am not like everybody.

"Stick to the plan boy!" He says with a voice that reminds me sickly of my dad. Bad memories come up in my head, but I shake them off of me.

Louis, my stylist is preparing me, before I go up in the launcher tube. He dresses me for the arena. It is very light and easy clothing not much for protection. They want to see blood, not fancy clothing for protection, like if I ever needed that?

"They are going to love you Cato Marshall Olsen! You sure are a winner, I`ve always known! It has been a pleasure being your stylist, you are the best!" I smile at the clown. What a dork. He know how to do his work though, I`ll give him that. He just looks so pathetic with that sky-blue wig of his, a typical Capitol citizen.

"You want something to eat?" He asks. I shake my head. I just want to go out on that arena already!

I take one step on the circular metal plate under the glass-cylinder, looking up at the darkness above me. Come on! I am ready! Just do it!

My thoughts are racing excited around my head. Just start! They shall see blood. I`ll give them the show they want. I will be the winner. It is going to be Cato Marshall Olsen from district 2. You hear that dad? I am going to win this fucking game! The winner of the seventy-fourth Hunger Games will be me!

The cylinder is lowering around me. I feel the plate I am standing on starting to rise. I am smiling, looking up, excited and ready. I am ready! The plate has reached the surface, and I am blinded by bright lights.

"_Wake up boy! The clock is five o`clock already. Wake up!" A sharp pain by being kicked in the back by a boot. The boy crawled tighter to breech position. The man continued kicking him in his back. _

"_Get on your feet boy! NOW!" The man slammed the boy`s bedroom door. The blond by crawled careful out of his bed. He was still shivering by the harsh treatment. The body of a pale nine year old boy started dressing himself, with his head low, full of shame. He was still afraid the man might come back. There was not going to be breakfast this morning either. The boy knew that when he got waked up by this man, he was not to get breakfast, only an apple perhaps. The boy hurried with his dressing for the training session, afraid his father would come back._

_The boy swung his sword with the slightest effort. He knew it was a heavy weapon, but he could handle it with grace because of his muscled arms."Cato Olsen! Think more of how you kill the victim, then how to swing your sword!" Shouted one of the trainers. The young boy stopped his graceful swinging and started to attack the helpless training doll. A anger had begun to grow inside Cato`s mind. He had heard his parents fighting again that morning, while his little sister Tinka was crying. "He is just a little boy Carl! You push him to hard." His mother was almost screaming. "I push him to hard? Well I have to! You know we have to do this he can win this. If not, I will send him to one of those lousy districts, being a peacekeeper like his older brother!" There was a slap, and Cato saw his mother run out of their house. _

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!" The voice of Claudius Templesmith was echoing across the big meadow where the cornucopia was placed. The tributes are standing in a circle waiting sixty seconds before they could start the bloodbath. I fill my nose by the smell of fresh air and the trees surrounding the meadow. There is backpack scattered around on the ground before us, along with many kinds of weapons. My eyes wander to the right and I catches Cloves gaze. An evil and knowing grind spreads in her face. I feel myself smile back at her, while my heart is pounding.

**10…**

"_You are not going to leave me, are you? Why did you volunteer?" Little Tinka were holding around her big brother, her tiny arms trying to hold him back. Cato was hugging her back, but did not regret volunteering at all. This is which was expected of him. He was going to win! He really was! "I don`t want you to die from me. I love you." Tears were streaming down her little face, Cato was not capable looking at her pale blue eyes, and he just held her tighter. She broke the embrace and held a plastic pearl in the palm of her hand. "Here, I want you to take this with you on the arena. Perhaps then you would not feel so alone, knowing I will be there cheering for you." Cato opens his palm where she lays the little pearl. "You are the best big brother in the world you see." She squeaked and they hugged each other harder. Cato`s expression were pale and eyes wide_.

**9…**

I am preparing myself. _"Concentrate now Cato!" _I hear Pascal voice tell me in my head. I am focusing my eyes on a shiny sword lying beside an orange backpack. That's mine and the game makers know it. With that sword I will gain the power of the cornucopia.

**8…**

_Cato held his dad`s gaze. Ice blue eyes meet black eyes. "It is best for you that you don`t screw this you little shit! You get what you deserve if you do not win the game. Weakness boy, it is called weakness. I do not want my own son to look weak, but you sure make it tough kid." Ice blue avoided blacks stabbing gaze. _

_Anger was filling every part of the muscled body of Cato Marshall Olsen. His hands were forming into fists. Cato could feel his nails penetrate into the skin of his palms. They were ready to hit, make damage, but the truth was that Cato would never hurt his dad. Yeah, he was beaten by him every morning, but Cato had too much pride to be sinking so low, on his dad`s level. He almost respected his dad, always keeping his mouth shut. Cato was good boy, hiding away his frustrations and anger towards his dad. Cato had hoped that his dad would be proud when he volunteered for the Games that evening, but all he got was the usual harsh look. _

"_Of course I will not screw things up dad!" mumbled Cato back, looking at his own feet. "Good! And do not call me dad!" Cato`s dad left the room and slammed the door as he always do, and left his hurt and angry son by his own. Cato closed his eyes, not to cry._

**3…**

I open my eyes and fill my lungs with air, only a few seconds left. My eyes find the girl from district 12. Her eyes are focusing on a silvery bow and a quiver with silvery arrows. I see the wheels spinning in her head, trying to figure out a plan how to get the bow and the quiver. I look at Glimmer and Clove, who had also seen the fire girl trying to come up with a plan. We smile at each other, and think the same; she will never get the bow or the quiver!

**2…**

_It is the last night before the games. Cato was sitting by himself by the window. Clove had just fallen asleep on his bed again, half naked. Thinking of it, that he had to kill her soon, made Cato a bit tense. After the couple of weeks in Capitol, he had grown to like Clove more than he should. Weakness his dad would say. Yes, perhaps he was a little weak. He felt selfish for wanting best of both worlds; Clove stroking his cheek, when they both knew only one of them would survive. He did not love her, but even thought of killing her made him darken a bit. _

_He was looking out of the window and watching the sleeping Clove. She made a cute snoring sound, which made him smile a bit. Cato looked down at the streets under the training center again. People were celebrating, parading in the streets. The Hunger Games would soon be broadcasting again. He held the plastic pearl he got from his little sister. It felt so small between his large fingers. He held it up to his eyes, studying it. It was supposed to be a pearl once upon a time though; the silvery white painting was scraped up here and there. A dumb little thing, why the hell would he bring that with him on the arena? He was going to win anyway. He would see his family again anyway. So why were his mother and sister crying? Why didn`t his brother wanted to talk to him and wish good luck? Why wasn`t his dad not proud of him? He would come home again. Cato Marshall Olsen is going to win the seventy-fourth Hunger Games! With that thought in his mind he threw the pearl out of the open window._

**1…**

I am preparing to run, ready to win. I am ready to show that I can. For a brief moment I am thinking about Tinka`s little pearl, and feel a little guilt for throwing it away. I sake the feeling away, I can get her a new one, a real one! The gongs rings out, and I start running, adrenalin pumping through my veins. I am going to get a real pearl, because I, Cato Marshall Olsen from district 2, will be the winner of this year Hunger Games, because I can`t lose.

**A/N: So, this is my version of how Cato felt, and what he thought before he entered the arena. If you hadn`t notice he is one of my favorites from the first book. I wrote this for a competition on in Norwegian, and won! I have now translated it into English, and rewritten it a bit. The Clove part was only in this English version. I guess you could say I am a Cato/Clove shipper, just love them both. It made me a little mad that the movie focused more on Cato/Glimmer. I cannot picture them together like that, or perhaps I can, but I still like Cato with Clove better. Talking about the movie, it was good, though I am glad I read the books first, but still it was good. Yeah, the name Marshall Olsen was just invented by me, I know that perhaps many find it weird, but it was the only one **

**Anyways, hope you liked the story. Sorry if my English were bad, still working on it. But please review, it makes a writer happy, bad or not, I do not care. **


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